King of the Hill (The Simpsons)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Simpsons episode
"King of the Hill"
Homer realizes there is still more to climb.
Episode no.	201
Prod. code	5F16
Orig. airdate	May 3, 1998
Show runner(s)	Mike Scully
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Directed by	Steven Dean Moore
Couch gag	The Simpsons sit on the couch and the camera zooms out to reveal that they're inside a snow globe. Then two hands shake the globe and Homer marvels at it with an, “Oooh!”.[1]
Guest star(s)	Brendan Fraser as Brad Steven Weber as Neil
DVD commentary	Mike Scully Richard Appel Steven Dean Moore
Season 9 September 21, 1997 – May 17, 1998
"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" "The Principal and the Pauper" "Lisa's Sax" "Treehouse of Horror VIII" "The Cartridge Family" "Bart Star" "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" "Lisa the Skeptic" "Realty Bites" "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" "All Singing, All Dancing" "Bart Carny" "The Joy of Sect" "Das Bus" "The Last Temptation of Krust" "Dumbbell Indemnity" "Lisa the Simpson" "This Little Wiggy" "Simpson Tide" "The Trouble with Trillions" "Girly Edition" "Trash of the Titans" "King of the Hill" "Lost Our Lisa" "Natural Born Kissers"
List of all The Simpsons episodes
Seasons 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20

"King of the Hill" is the twenty-third episode of the ninth season of the animated television series The Simpsons, which originally aired May 3, 1998.^[2] It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Steven Dean Moore, and guest stars Brendan Fraser and Steven Weber.^[2] The episode sees Homer trying to climb a large mountain to impress Bart.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Cultural references 4 Reception 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Plot

The family goes out to a church picnic. When the kids start a game of capture the flag, Bart chooses Homer to be on his team. Soon, Bart realizes Homer is not physically fit. Moments later, Homer collapses, causing Bart to become disappointed in his father. That night, Homer thinks about how ashamed Bart was in him and, at midnight, he sneaks out to exercise. A later night, Homer is running and decides to stop at the Kwik-E-Mart, where he discovers an energy bar called "Power Sauce", which he starts to eat regularly.

During another one of his late-night runs, he finds a 24-hour gym. There, he meets Rainier Wolfcastle who becomes his fitness coach. Wolfcastle is successful in training Homer and, in two months, Homer is slimmer and has defined muscles. Homer then reveals to the family that he has been secretly working out. The family is impressed at Homer's improved shape, including Bart. He goes with Homer to the gym one day, where Rainier is being asked by two "Power Sauce" representatives to climb the tallest mountain in Springfield, 'The Murderhorn', as a publicity stunt. When Rainier refuses, Bart informs them that Homer will climb it, and when he is asked, Homer agrees to do the climb.

When he finds out that Homer is climbing the mountain, Abraham Simpson urges Homer not to do it, as he attempted to when he was younger, and was betrayed by his friend C.W. McAllister. Homer ignores him and publicly begins his climbing. He is aided by two Sherpas as guides, who were instructed to drag Homer up the mountain as he slept. During one of these nights, Homer wakes up to discover that he was being secretly dragged, and fires the two Sherpas. After a loss of communication with Homer, many, including the "Power Sauce" representatives, predict Homer's death. Homer continues to climb, and when he believes he has reached the top, only sees that he has made it to a plateau of the mountain. Homer enters a small cave on the side of the mountain and discovers the frozen body of McAllister and his diary. Homer reads that it was actually his father that betrayed McAllister, and he even attempted to eat him. Ashamed of himself and his father, Homer climbs out and sticks his flag on the plateau causing mountain's peak to break off, therefore making the plateau Homer was standing on the peak. Proud of his work, Homer uses McAllister's body as a sled to go down the mountain, where he is greeted by a crowd, and once again, causes Bart to be proud of him.^[2][3]

[edit] Production

The episode was pitched and written by John Swartzwelder. The writing staff had to find a new angle for Homer's weight problems, as the idea had been used several times before. This was emphasized in this episode when Marge does not seem to care that Homer is going to try to lose weight again.^[4]

In the scenes when the Sherpas were speaking, the show staff went to great lengths to find translations. Originally, the producers of the movie adaption of the book Into Thin Air were contacted to help. They were shocked at the trouble the staff was going to, as they replied that they had simply made up translations in the movie. The staff then had to consult various experts by telephone.^[4]

[edit] Cultural references

The mountain Homer must climb, the Murderhorn, is a reference to the mountain Matterhorn, which is located in the Swiss Alps.^[1] The title "King of the Hill" refers to the game of the same name.

[edit] Reception

The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, thought well of the episode, calling it, "A quite charming little adventure in which, in an effort to impress Bart, Homer undertakes a dangerous adventure and comes through successfully. It's nice because just for once, to all intents and purposes, Homer actually succeeds in something."^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• "King of the Hill" at The Simpsons.com
• "King of the Hill (The Simpsons)" episode capsule at The Simpsons Archive
• "King of the Hill" at TV.com
• "King of the Hill" at the Internet Movie Database